Place all the ingredients in a large pot. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat, partially cover the pot, and simmer the stock for at least 1 hour. The longer the stock cooks, the richer it will become; but don’t cook it so long that that broth boils away.

If time permits, let the stock cool before pouring it through a fine strainer or sieve into a fat-skimming measuring cup, a bowl, or other suitable container. Press on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. ( I always use cheesecloth to strain the soup, too!)

If using the fat skimmer, decant the fat-free broth into containers for storage; otherwise refrigerate the broth until the fat hardens on the broth’s surface for easy removal. (Depending on the amount of gelatinous protein in the chicken scraps, the broth may gel at refrigerator temperatures.)

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I usually refrigerate the stock overnight and remove the fat the next day. Then I add the veggies (carrots, celery and onion usually), and add a teaspoon or two of many different spices: oregano, basil, dillweed, marjoram, sage, thyme, and lots of pepper. I try to watch my salt, when I do cook at home, so I really don’t add very much, if at all. If I get enough other herbs in there, I really don’t miss it! I know I made this once for my church’s Lenten soup suppers and it disappeared quickly.

Anyways, I cook the veggies until tender, throw in 2 cups of cooked chicken, make a cup or so of noodles (dry) and then add those, too. I usually cook the noodles separately.

We sometimes have a whole chicken for supper. Immediately after supper, I cut the chicken from the bones and put all the scraps in my stock pot. I strain the soup and put it in the fridge before I go to bed. If I don’t make the stock right away, it just doesn’t happen!

Oh man, I have chicken scraps in the freezer, too. I’m getting hungry for chicken soup, too. Plus it’s nice to have broth in the freezer, too. The weather is cooling off a bit, now that it’s September, so I’m getting hungry for soup!